


To Defy The Shackles Of My Cursed Fate

by FluffyPanda20



Series: To Defy The Shackles Of My Cursed Fate (Female_Naruto_Timetravel_fics) [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Big brother Uchihas and Naras, Canon-Typical Violence, F/F, F/M, Family Fluff, Found Family, Ghosts and Shinigami, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Konoha villagers being assholes, M/M, Minato redemption, Naruko embraces her maternal culture, PTSD, Repression, Themes of escapism, Time Travel Fix-It, Uzumaki Naruko is a mess, Uzumaki Naruko is her mother's daughter, Uzumaki Naruko needs a hug, Yami Naruko, experimentations, mentions of psychological torture, past trauma, strong female lead
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-05-01
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:08:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23944447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FluffyPanda20/pseuds/FluffyPanda20
Summary: She ignores the anxiety that tears through her veins and scrubs her hands over her face, futilely trying to dispel her nerves and wipe the tears that had fallen down her cheeks.She bites down on her bottom lip. Heaving out a breath, chest tightening she chokes out-"I don't want to see them die again." She confesses her biggest fear. She was back in the past. She was twelve again. She was going to have to live through all of that again.The sage hums."Then don't let them die."
Relationships: Bijuu | Tailed Beasts & Uzumaki Naruko, Kyuubi | Nine-tails | Kurama & Uzumaki Naruko, Uzumaki Naruko and Konoha 12, Uzumaki Naruko and Namikaze Minato, Uzumaki Naruko and Sand Siblings, Uzumaki Naruko and Uzumaki Kushina
Series: To Defy The Shackles Of My Cursed Fate (Female_Naruto_Timetravel_fics) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1726123
Kudos: 30





	1. Prologue: A not so happy ending

_'Thoughts'_

**"Kurama/Bijuu speech..."**

_"Minato communicating with Naruko inside her head..."_

**_"Hagoromo speech"_ **

"Normal speech..."

Jutsu name...

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**_"In peace, sons bury their FATHERS. In war, fathers bury their SONS." ~ Herodotus_ **

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Third-person POV:

An eerie silence prevailed over the bloody battlefield that was broken by the ragged and heavy breathing of a man who was holding a young girl close to his chest. The ground on which the man sat cradling the body of the girl was once a beautiful shade of greenish-yellow, full of flowers. That same ground had now turned into a nasty shade of bloody brown and was littered with huge white trees- no- husks that had once been the captors of the humans inside them. 

The sky which once reflected the color of the girl's eyes had changed as well. It was once a shade of relaxing light cerulean-oceanic blue but had now morphed into a spine-chilling shade of blood-red... as if it was reflecting the destruction that had been caused on the earth beneath it.

It was daytime, yet there were no clouds or sun present in the sky, there was only a moon, a blood-red moon...but it wasn't accompanied by any stars. This sight could be frightening for anyone, civilian and shinobi alike, but then again no was left alive to reflect upon such an anomaly.

Upon a closer look, one would find that the man and the girl wore similar haori's...white with red fire patterns at the hem...the only thing that made them different from each other was the kanji on the back. The kanji on the man's haori said _'Yondaime Hokage'_ while the one on the girl's haori said _'Rokudaime Hokage'._

Another thing that just stood out about the duo was that both of them had golden-blonde hair and sun-kissed tanned skin. The only difference was that she had three adorable whisker marks on each of her cheeks. The girl looked like the female version of the man. Which was indeed true after all the girl was the man's only daughter.

This man was the hero of Konoha, known and feared far and wide even in his death as ' _Konoha-no-Kiri-Senkoi'._ Hewho had sacrificed himself 22 years ago in order to protect his village and more importantly _his king_ , _his daughter_. 

He had been reanimated into the world of living along with the previous 3 Hokages through Edo-Tensei. The forbidden jutsu had initially been used in order to answer the questions of the wayward last Uchiha. However, the three leaders had used this as an opportunity to turn the tide of the 4th Great Shinobi War towards the favor of the Shinobi Alliance, no matter how brief it had been. 

The said predecessors had already been _'released'_ from the land of the living- and none too willingly- by Madara and Kaguya at different points of time during the course of their battle. He could never forget the expression of unbridled fury on the Nidaime's face as Madara used his own creation against him. Could never forget the way the Shodaime gave one last sorrowful look, a small smile of resignation on his face as his body crumbled into ashes from Kaguya's attack, and try as hard as he may, he could never forget the look of unbounded compassion and extreme guilt on the Sandaime's face that was directed towards Naruko as his body hit the boiling lava. 

He could see the way her mental state deteriorated, how with each loss a part of her soul died. And now... even after finally- _finally_ being able to defeat Kaguya after 5 long and hard years of war, he couldn't help but think _what was the use of this?_ No human being was left alive apart from his child and she was also barely holding on to her life. 

And now holding his _king,_ his _daughter_ close to him with the chakra forms of the recently freed nine bijuu's fading behind his back, surrounded by the carcasses of what could barely be classified as humans, he couldn't help but regret his decision of leaving her alone on the night of her birth to solve this clusterfuck of a mess all by herself. 

When he had been alive, he had been praised for his quick thinking and superior intelligence that was said to rival that of the Nara's. However, now holding Naruko's- his _child's_ body that was practically _drenched_ from head to toe in _her blood_. A huge gaping hole in the place where her seal was supposed to be present and her heartbeat slowing down at a dangerous rate, with her breathing growing short and sporadic and Kurama being unable to heal her, he _didn't_ _know_ what to _do?_

As he held her battered form close to his chest he could hear the self-deprecating thoughts that were running through her mind- all thanks to their linked mindscapes. An after-effect of her sharing and linking her chakra with him. She was regretting the fact that she was unable to fulfill her _supposed_ duty as the _'child of prophecy- the savior of the shinobi world'_...

The blonde girl looked at her father...she gave him a small yet sincere smile, an _earnest smile_. Her dried and chapped lips move slowly, she was saying something. The Yondaime trying to hold in his sorrow bent his head down trying to hear what his child was saying, was _trying_ to tell him. 

When her words registered in his conscious, his grip on her frame tightened, somehow still retaining their initial gentleness. His face morphed into despair and overwhelming sorrow. He noted in dark humor that this situation and now the words that his child spoke were ironically enough similar to the ones that his beloved wife had spoken just a few moments prior to their demise on October 10th. 

''I am glad... to have gotten the chance to get to know you as a person."

_//''I am glad to have you as my_ _husband.'' //_

The words seemed to overlap and repeat in his mind over and over again like a broken record...

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She looked at the man with horns and the rinnegan eyes who was floating in the air behind her father. He had ten orbs floating beneath him. The sage of six paths was watching the scene that played before his eyes with an unreadable expression on his face. His mouth set in a grim line, he seemed to be pondering over something.... something that she just couldn't bring herself to care about at the moment.

She opened her cracked lips and said in a hoarse voice, something that could not be mistaken as anything _but_ a plea, and anyone who had ever known the Uzumaki knew that she _never_ begged.

"Hagoromo Oji Sama... _please_ release... him... from the jutsu for me..." 

_'At least in this way... my family would finally be able to reunite in the after-life._ '

With that Naruko- who was like the spring incarnate, with her bright attitude and equally bright looks, the girl that brought happiness to everyone else around her, finally succumbed to the darkness that had been steadily creeping around the edges of her vision with only one last thought in her mind.

' _Mama I am coming to meet you...'_

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A sudden light shone in the utter- stifling- and constricting darkness that surrounded her form, shining like a beacon of hope. And despite her tiredness, the blonde girl found herself following the path that the light illuminated. She had always hated the dark... it closed upon her, making her feel small, terrified and made her wish despite herself that someone, anyone would come and help her, save her...

As she followed the path, she was oblivious to the fact that her body, height, and stature were seemingly decreasing, her eyes though remained the same... dull and lifeless with the addition of now being unseeing as well.

She continued to walk for what seemed like hours, before finally coming to a halt in front of a door. With a slight hesitation, she decided-

 _'To hell with it, I don't have anything to lose as it is..',_ and in the typical Naruko fashion wrenched the door open, with a force that almost lifted it up-off it's hinges.

A sudden bright light flooded the area before her. The intensity of the light made her feel as if she was in one of Anko's T and I interrogation session and the damn purplette had flashed the torch right in her face, forcing her to close her eyes. When she opened them again her breath hitched and a wave of emotions the prominent ones being fear and panic crashed into her system.

She found herself in a place that had held so many memories for her, a place that had been one of the first ones to be destroyed when the Zetsu army had managed to break through the barrier system and attack Konoha. 

She was pinioned to the middle stump in training ground 7. She was in the place that had been the origin of Team 7. 

Glancing at her surroundings with wide panic-stricken eyes the blonde couldn't help but let her thoughts spiral into the downward direction. Wrenching her eyes to her torso that had been entirely covered by the rope that was used to bind her, she let her eyes settle on the ground that was covered by what looked like sandal scruffs and worked to steady her breath.

Finally, years of ingrained shinobi instincts kicked in and she observed her surroundings. She stubbornly ignored the wetness that she felt on her face. _No,_ this was _not_ the time to cry dammnit!

From where she was standing she could easily see the Hokage monument. However, there was a catch. Instead of 5 grim visages looking over the village (because there had been no time for her face to be carved in... what with the village being on high alert and an atmosphere of grief and fear...) she found that there were only 4.

Everything about her surroundings right from the pristine blue sky to the stream gushing with the sound of water splattering against the rocks to the canopy surrounded by green trees standing tall and proud was normal, exactly like- how she remembered it to be. The keyword being _remembered_. Nothing should be normal she thought. Eyes wide and unfocused. Every bit of the flora and fauna had been destroyed years ago. 

The ground _**should not**_ be _**green**_ , it _**should be red**_. The blood had soaked into the ground permanently dying it red. There was no water, no sunlight and as a result of it no flora.

 _'Genjutsu'_ , she thought, furiously, scathingly.

Trying to move her arms so that she could at least make the hand signs to release herself from the Tsukuyomi, she found herself incapable of movement.

 _'The rope... why the hell isn't it budging?!!'_ she thought frantically not realizing that she was panicking.

Suddenly a burst of red chakra erupted from the struggling child and encompassed the area within 5 meters of her body. The chakra healed the furious red marks on her wrist that had been caused due to struggle and burnt the rope with a hissing sound. It left scratch marks on the stump but Naruko couldn't bring herself to care about that... there was only one thought in her mind.

 _'Kurama..'_ she breathed out in wonder.

 _'You are here...with me'_ she choked out in obvious relief.

She made a hand sign and a burst of chakra flared through her entire body.

"Kai!!!"

However to her horror, she found out that nothing happened, nothing changed... even when she continued to flare her chakra, the results were negligible there was not even the slightest shift in the scenery.

_'Nothing is happening ...why isn't it working...?'_

Tears involuntarily formed their way into her eyes and she felt a few of them traitorously cascade down her face. 

She was pulled out of her mental breakdown and pitiful state when she heard Kurama's voice boom in her mindscape.

**"Kit... calm down...go to your apartment..."**

She didn't question his words, no matter how strange she found them to be. She had begun to trust the kitsune with her life years ago, and right now with her mind keeling over the edge with the thought that she had failed, that all the efforts put into defeating the fake goddess had failed, she only did what Kurama had asked of her... she shunshined to her apartment.


	2. Back In The Past? ~ 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "War does not determine who is right - only who is left." ~ Bertrand Russell

_'Thoughts'_

**"Kurama/Bijuu speech..."**

_"Minato communicating with Naruko inside her head..."_

_**"Hagoromo speech"** _

"Normal speech..."

Jutsu name...

_//Flashback//_

_\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Recap: [Third-person Pov:]

She didn't question his words, no matter how strange she found them to be. She had begun to trust the kitsune with her life years ago, and right now with her mind keeling over the edge with the thought that she had failed, that all the efforts put into defeating the fake goddess had failed, she only did what Kurama had asked of her... she shunshined to her apartment.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Third-person Pov:

When Naruko arrived at the hell hole that she called as an apartment, she drew in a shaky breath and immediately scanned her surroundings for any possible hidden threats. Glancing around she noted dully and despairingly that everything was just as she remembered it to be...

The dull lime walls which had cracks in them, the wooden door with its handle bent at an odd angle ~~as if someone had tried to rip it out of its position~~ , the sparsely furnished floor, the old furniture that had definitely seen better days...the cheap old 'bed' that lay next to the window. Then there was the kunai placed on the table that the Sandaime had gifted to her on her 10th birthday.

Apart from the kunai, every other object present in the room gave it a dingy effect.

Taking in the sight of the apartment with tired eyes she couldn't help but reminisce about the past. Specifically about what had happened when the Senju princess had become the Hokage.

Her baa-chan had insisted that she should move along with her in the Senju estate. The older blonde had literally spat at the village elders and had said words which had become forever engraved in her heart as a fond memory...

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_//Flashback~_

_"I. DON'T. CARE. What your opinions are, for they are just that opinions-_ pieces of _advice_ _\- you OLD FARTS!!! I am the Hokage here! It's my orders that the shinobi of Konoha_ **including** _you two would follow! And my order is that I will not let a young shinobi of Konoha- (forget the fact that I see her as my sister figure)-stay_ **there** _out of all the places in this damn village!!" hissed a certain highly enraged blonde Sannin as the desk ominously creaked from the force of her hands slamming on them. She had a dark menacing glare seemingly permanently etched on her face, threatening-_ **daring** _the elders to do something stupid, so that she could charge them for insubordination._

_Finally, after much more curses, threats, broken walls, and furniture the two parties had settled on an agreement that the blond Uzumaki would not shift to the estate provided that her apartment was made more liveable...and that's exactly what had happened._

_End of flashback~//_

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A small sad smile broke out onto her pale features and she tried not to cry at the memory. And no matter how much she tried to deny the burning sensation in her eyes she couldn't deny the lump that had lodged itself in her throat.

Biting her lip hard enough to draw out blood, she forcefully yanked herself from memories that would no doubt just continue to hurt her should she continue to dwell on them.

Even as her hands trembled and her body shook with the effort to continue standing straight, her mind raced a thousand miles a second with doubts, assumptions, and conclusions. She wasn't exactly surprised to notice that none of those thoughts were happy or hope-filled. Instead, they were morbid, a mixture of grief, confusion, panic, anger, and remorse.

A particularly dark thought entered her mind-

' _D-Did I fail everyone...again?'_

Everyone had _ **died**_...entrusting _ **her**_ with the fate of Shinobi World, entrusting her with the job of sealing the chakra goddess away...she had been left with the task to ensure that none of their efforts had been wasted, to ensure that not a single person who had died, shinobi or not, had died in vain. _It was the only way_ \- she had thought at that time, _the only way to ensure that they were able to rest in peace_. _By ensuring that at least their loved ones had **survived**._

And she had absolutely, spectacularly _**failed**_ in that task as well. She made a sound. Somewhere between a broken sob and a self-deprecating chuckle.

The scene that she had witnessed, prior to using the Shunshin-no-Jutsu? It had filled her with absolute- immense dread.

Oh, it was Konoha alright, but not the Konoha that she knew...for what lay before her was the village of Konohagakure in its peaceful times, times full of happiness and almost zero tension...it was the Konoha before _The Pain Attack,_ way before the disastrous _Chunnin Exams_.

Her breath became ragged and her vision began to slightly blur...she was panicking, hyperventilating...

 _'THIS IS NOT THE TIME TO HAVE A PANIC ATTACK!!!!',_ she mentally roared at herself.

Gritting her teeth she channelized all her pain, sadness, sorrow, anger and helplessness at the situation into energy and making a hand sign with her left-hand whisper yelled-

"Kai!!"

A wave of blue chakra flooded out from her body and surrounded her, whipping around her, it completely engulfed the entire room. Due to the sheer magnitude and force of the chakra the windows rattled, more cracks appeared on the wall and the kunai that lay on the table fell and landed on the sparsely furnished floor with a ' _thud_ ' sound...

The result was the same as before- there was no shimmering or shifting in the scene- her attempts had _yet again_ yielded zero results.

Bringing her arms up, ignoring the discomforting feeling of the skin of her right arm being ripped into ribbons she clapped her hands together and shouted, again and again, and _again_ , trying even in this condition to dispel the damn genjutsu, because that's just what all of this was and giving up was simply not in her nature. _It simply wasn't an option_.

The weirdness of the fact that- how did Kaguya know about her life as a pre-teen? That to such an extreme and vivid detail never hindered her attempts, though it continued to remain as a lingering thought in her mind...

 _'_ _What if ?...'_

Her voice shook and broke with every shout of 'kai'.

The chakra spikes that she gave off were **_too strong, too powerful_** to be coming off from a green genin. It was too much even for a jinchuuriki. Constantly reminding the girl, taunting her that she was _**never**_ normal and **_never could be..._**

Scrunching her eyes in pain she squeezed out every last drop of chakra that was accessible to her, not realizing, that the force of the flare had caused her hair to come out of their pigtails by bursting through the blue baubles that held them in place.

If a Hyuuga were to see her now with their activated Byakugan... they would only find Naruko- shimmering with gathered chakra...

When the blonde released the pulse, her chakra swirled in complex patterns around her navel, her body glowed, and then her aura _**exploded**_ outward.

At that moment the daughter of _Kiri-senkoi_ looked very much like the storm god Susanoo. She looked just as how the heavenly deity looked when he stepped on a thunderbolt that had struck the ground.

Then the shockwave passed, and even though Uzumaki Naruko never gave up... her body _gave up on her._ Her legs wobbled, the last warning sign before they lost their fight against gravity.

She heavily leaned against the wall that stood opposite to the lone window in the entire room. Sliding against it, she pressed her knees to her chest. Her hands wrapped themselves around her legs, and her face pressed itself into her knees. Her blue eyes- so _dull_ , so _broken_ , so _lifeless_ were wide and unseeing.

She _didn't want_ to feel like this anymore. She wanted all this to _stop_. 

Her breath is slow, painful, and raspy around the edges. There are black spots dancing around in her vision and unbeknownst to her fat teardrops sliding down her dirty cheeks. 

She closes her eyes, and when they open again, she can feel the familiar feeling of icy water underneath her hands and knees, making her suck in another puff of air. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The lines from-
> 
> If a Hyuuga... to ...struck the ground.
> 
> Were taken from 'Team 8' by 'S'TarKan'. They were edited and changed by me according to the requirements of the story.


	3. Back In The Past? ~ 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "A father's tears and fears are unseen, his love is unexpressed, but his care and protection remain as a pillar of strength throughout our lives." – Ama H. Vanniarachchy

_'Thoughts'_

**"Kurama/Bijuu speech..."**

_"Minato communicating with Naruko inside her head..."_

**_"Hagoromo speech"_ **

"Normal speech..."

Jutsu name...

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Recap: [Third-person POV:]

She closes her eyes, and when they open again, she can feel the familiar feeling of icy water underneath her hands and knees, making her suck in another puff of air. 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Third-person POV:

Naruko shudders and slowly raises herself up into a stand. She places her hands onto her knees and pushes herself up, only to stumble and fall back down into the water.

A groan of frustration leaves her lips, her fingers curl into fists and she tries again. Her body screams in agony and she wavers. She heavily leans against the crumbling grey- not golden, _no longer golden-_ walls of her mind walk and bites down _hard_ on her bottom lip. She feels numb, tired. Utterly defeated and _useless_.

Her lips quiver. She shuts her eyes close and pounds her left fist, hard against the wall. It does nothing. It doesn't bring Neji back. It doesn't save Obito. It doesn't stop Madara or that crazy wrench Kaguya from killing everyone. It doesn't bring back Uncle Shikaku or Aunt Yoshino or Itachi ni-san. It does absolutely nothing apart from making her hate herself even more.

"Damnit", she breathes out and grinds her teeth together. There is absolute, thick, and utter darkness around her and it is enveloping her, slowly and painfully. It yanks her breath out of her and closes upon her. Her chest tightens and her eyes water, she is _scared, so so scared_. 

Her left hand tightens its grip on the wall, nails digging furthermore into the grey concrete. There are deep claw marks left behind, causing the wall to crack and crumble furthermore. Thick, dark, and viscous blood flows down from the cracks and stains the icy water underneath her _red_. 

There are black spots dancing in her limited vision, the dim lighting of the mind walk is _not_ helping at all and she just wants to curl up in a ball and _sleep_ and if possible _never wake -_

Suddenly there is a hand settling on her shoulder, and she flinches violently. She turns her head slowly, just the slightest, to see who the appendage belonged to. Her vision is blurry but there is no mistaking the mop of wild golden hair and piercing blue eyes.

_"Shh... Naruko, calm down. It's only me...It's dad."_ He is talking to her slowly and gently- like how a person speaks to a frightened animal, _to a small child_. His hand is still settled on her shoulder and acts as a steady and familiar weight, anchoring her to reality. Preventing her from forever getting lost in the darkness.

Tears cloud her already hazy vision, blurring them furthermore, her lips wobble and she whimpers pitifully- _sorrowfully_.

_"It's alright sweetie, I am here."_ His voice pierces through the fog in her mind and she screws her eyes shut, letting him guide them out of this stifling darkness, this _oppressing loneliness_ that previously surrounded her. 

Even in this state, she didn't miss the fact that- his face no longer bared cracks and that the sclera of his eyes was no longer black.

The father-daughter duo trod carefully and slowly across the ankle-deep water. Her eyes are still closed, but at least her breath is steady. The weight supporting her frame by her shoulders is warm and reassuring. 

**"Kit"** , Kurama calls. His voice is gruff yet gentle, but he sounds so tired, _so weak_.

She opens her eyes, they are wide and wet. 

"Kurama", her voice is barely above a whisper. The water over here is pleasantly warm, the lighting much brighter, much _warmer,_ but what causes her stomach to drop is the sight of the original seal covering the golden bars of the kitsune's former cage. 

Her father is still supporting her weight as she stops just before the golden bars of the cage. She frowns as she skims her fingers against them.

"Gomen", she quietly voices as she rests her head against the bars of the cage. 

"Kurama gomen", she chokes out as her fingers tightly curl around them. Kurama, he looked so tired. His magnificent orange fur was no longer glimmering, it had lost its usual shine. His brilliant ruby red eyes were no longer sparkling in mirth, were no longer teasing, they were dull. He looked so thin. He sounded so _drained_ , so _tired_ , so _weak_. 

**"Don't sweat too much, it's not permanent"** , he grumbles out weakly, and even though his voice is playful his eyes are entirely serious. 

Try as hard as she may she couldn't stop her lips from slightly twitching up at that. Trust Kurama to defend his 'honor' even in his current state.

It's silent for a heartbeat or two before she finally chokes out-

"How?"

Suddenly she tenses. The hairs on the back of her neck stand to attention. Something flips in her stomach and then there is an ancient voice suddenly booming in the room. It's not loud, barely a whisper, but the syllables spoken by it clearly capture the attention of all the occupants of the room.

**_"_ _Ōjo"_** , it says and that's the only warning the occupants of the room get- before a part of the room shifts and warps and the levitating figure of the sage of six paths materializes out of thin air. 

There is a sudden tension in the room that is distilled when Kurama suddenly scoffs and mutters in a low voice-

**"Took you long enough old man."**

The said old man smiles indulgently at the kitsune, his old and wise eyes crinkling at the corners before he shifts his attention to the only female being in the room. 

_**"Forgive us."**_ The Rikudo's voice is low, too soft, too different from what Naruko had heard during their first meet.

Swallowing down her nerves she manages to ask-

"W-why are you apologizing? "

**_"We have forcibly brought you back here."_ **

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_//Flashback ~_

_Third-person POV:_

_His heart drops to his stomach when his child's body goes limp in his arms. His grip on her frame tightens and he draws her body closer to his chest. Neither of their hearts are beating and theoretically speaking neither of them is alive and yet he is still stuck in this world._

_Taking a ragged breath he deeply inhales her scent. He doesn't pay any attention to the tears that are making their way down his face in silent agony._

_He is rocking back and forth, his face is nuzzled deep in the crook of her neck, his blue eyes are scrunched in heartbreaking sorrow, and an acrid taste is burning at the back of his throat._

_He takes a shuddering breath and finally chokes out -_

_"Gomen...", he breathes out and grinds his teeth together._

_"Gomen Naruko."_

_"I wish", he whispers to her dead body, too quietly, too softly, drowning out the sound of the surroundings._

_"I wish I could have protected you better. I wish I could have been there for you when you needed me the most", he smiles bitter and small._

_Minato suddenly tenses, the hairs on his back are standing to attention, and then someone's hand settles onto his shoulder. He turns his head slightly to see that it's the Rikudo's hand that is settled on his shoulder._

_The sage is saying something, his lips are moving and even though he is unable to hear the words in his grief, he is still able to read the man's lips._

_His eyes widen. Barely restrained anger shimmers under the surface. He stares at the man in front of him, waiting for him to say that his words were a sick joke, waiting for him to say that he was lying, because- **time travel?** That was impossible._

_And when no other sound is made and he finds that the sage is only staring right back at him, his eyes boring down into his very being, he wrenches his eyes away from him and shifts his gaze towards his hands,_ _cracked_ _and_ _coated in blood, **her blood.** And almost hesitantly he shifts his vision towards his daughter, lying in his arms, pale and broken._

_And suddenly his decision is made. His eyes sharpen and regain their deadly glint. His grip on her frame tightens and then cerulean eyes drift up to meet amaranthine._

_"What must I do?"_

_His response was met with a proud lilt of the lips before the sage's voice grew severe._

_**"I must be brief. We do not have much time. Kurama and my other children have already initiated the process. No human on this planet is alive, save for you. My children can only send her back to 10 years in the past, for this process requires a lot of chakra. However, it's clear that her mental state isn't exactly the best."** Here the sage stops and_ _winces_ _slightly_ _. Closing his own eyes he ignores the look of sympathy that has been directed towards him and his child._

_**"Even if she is the child of prophecy, she will need all the help that she can receive to rewrite the future. You have a chance, a chance to change everything along with her. But remember, 'time' is a concept that should never be meddled with. Time-travel is a forbidden art and you are going to go against the flow of time and against fate itself. They will not take kindly to being interfered with. Every action will have a reaction. There will be consequences for the decisions you make. Whether good or bad, that depends on the choices you make. However, I can assure you one thing. Even though the major events that led to this future, up to the resurrection of the Juubi will indeed take place, the outcome of these events can be changed."** _

_"I understand." Minato finally breathes out softly, with his gaze fixed on the rapidly paling face of his child._

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

_**"Minato your soul will be sealed** _ _**inside of her to ensure that you are able to cross through the time stream without being dissipated into it. Remember, for I need not reiterate myself when Naruko** _ _**is sent back in time there would be instances where her soul would try to descent into her 12-year-old form but would be unable to do so due to unsuccessful merger of souls** _ _**from different timelines.** _ _**When this phenomenon occurs she would no longer possess the control over her body. This can prove to be dangerous. To ensure that unnecessary hindrances don't arise your soul must take over her conscience and control her actions. Kurama would be able to tell you when the time for the final descent occurs, and when it does her body should stay still. W** _ _**ith that being said I wish the three of you good luck on your journey,"** the sage concluded. With a last look at the world around him, that seemed to be painted in red he closed his eyes. Allowing the Namikaze to finish his part of the required 1,245 seals, the Rikudo waved his staff._

_Placing the hand with the sun mark above the girl's navel he chanted the ancient spells that were required for the conclusion of the process and watched as the two humans disappeared before his very eyes, leaving nothing behind to indicate their existence in this barren world._

_End of Flashback~//_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Major references were taken from the fanfic 'Hello, Goodbye' by 'HaruPotter15' and edited and changed according to the requirements of the fanfic by me


	4. Back In The Past? ~ 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person, he believed in me." – Jim Valvano

_'Thoughts'_

**"Kurama/Bijuu speech..."**

_"Minato communicating with Naruko inside her head..."_

_**"Hagoromo speech"** _

"Normal speech..."

Jutsu name...

_//Flashback...//_

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Recap: [Third Person POV:]

_Placing the hand with the sun mark above the girl's navel he chanted the ancient spells that were required for the conclusion of the process and watched as the two humans disappeared before his very eyes, leaving nothing behind to indicate their existence in this barren world._

_End of Flashback~//_

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Third Person POV:

"Oh", that's the only response that the twelve-year-old was able to give as the circumstances leading to her travel back in time were explained.

Slowly and reluctantly, Naruko removes her hands- which at a point of time had come up to rest on her face.

She ignores the anxiety that tears through her veins and scrubs her hands over her face, futilely trying to dispel her nerves and wipe the tears that had fallen down her cheeks.

She bites down on her bottom lip. Heaving out a breath, chest tightening she chokes out-

"I don't want to see them die again." She confesses her biggest fear. She was back in the past. She was twelve again. She was going to have to live through all of that again.

The sage hums.

**_"Then don't let them die."_ **

With that, the sage's chakra form disappears entrusting the survival and safety of the entire world in the hands of the 22 turned 12-year-old girl.

\-----------------------------------------------------

When the Rikudo's chakra form disappeared, Minato carefully peered over at Naruko. The girl's eyes were numbly fixed at her hands and her entire form seemed to wilt under the weight of the responsibility that had been placed on her shoulders once again.

Pressing his lips in a thin line, a frown marring his features, he made up his mind.

 _"Naruko"_ , he spoke, his eyes narrowed and solely focused on the carefully blank gaze of his child.

 _"Can you please repeat your nindo for me?",_ he requested in a soft voice.

Judging by the way surprise had flittered on her face, he knew that his words had caught her off guard, and fulfilled their initial goal of distracting her from the gravity of the responsibility that had been placed on her shoulders once again.

Pressing her own lips in a thin line, unknowingly mirroring his own expression from a few moments ago, he saw her hesitate before speaking in a wary yet much surer voice-

"I don't quit, and I never go back on my words, cuz that's my ninja way."

 _"That's right, so why are you hesitating now, sweetie?",_ he breathed out softly with a sad yet knowing smile on his face.

"I...I am scared", she choked out. She breathed deeply trying to get past the weight on her chest that prevented any sounds from coming out.

"I..", he slowly placed his hands on her shoulder, making sure that she could see each and every movement that he made. Slowly he kneeled in front of her, in such a way that they were both now at eye level.

"W-What if I fail again? What if someone dies much before they did in our timeline? What if...". She stopped, choking on a sob. She scrunched her blue eyes. Her lips wobbled and she whimpered in distress.

There was a tentative silence that hung in the air as Minato gazed at the distressed form of his child. All the events that had occurred in the past had, by all means, left her broken, leaving behind only a shell of what used to be a cheerful girl. But...she was broken, _not shattered_ , and Minato wasn't going to let lose the little hope that was left.

 _"You will not fail Naruko, I believe in you."_ He said with utmost conviction, not once did he tear his gaze away from the blue eyes that had snapped wide open at his words.

"W-Why do you believe in me so much...?", she stuttered out slowly, painfully. Her chest tightened and nostalgia coursed through her body. This entire conversation and scenario seemed like a much darker version of the conversation that had taken place between the father-daughter duo during the Pain Invasion.

 _"Why wouldn't I believe in you? It is the duty of a parent to have undying faith in his child..."_ His lips tugged upwards at the corners and he gave her a soft, warm smile.

 _"I believe in your power, in your strength, in the good in you, I believe in you."_ The utmost faith that he had in her was clearly reflected in his voice. Not once did he hesitate. With a calm look in his eyes, he stared straight into the scrutinizing yet wary gaze of his child, not once flinching from the look which instilled fear and paranoia in others. The look that seemed to stare right into the very depths of an individual's soul.

 _"Remember this, you did great the first time around without having any prior knowledge of the events that would occur. You will do great this time as well. If you ever stumble, **we will be there** to catch you and help you. **We are together in this.** **You are not alone.** _"He finished softly, laying clear emphasis on the word 'we' indicating that the responsibility to save the world was not only her burden to carry.

 _"Besides...",_ he said softly only to smile mischievously as he continued-

_"Didn't you say it yourself? If you don't like the hand that fate's dealt you with-"_

"- then fight for a new one." She finished softly. A small smile tugging at her lips, as he saw the faintest bit of life shimmer in her dull eyes again.

And seeing this he smiled. Proud of his little accomplishment and most of all proud of her. Oh, he knew that the upcoming days, weeks, or even years weren't going to be the easiest for her _or_ the kindest on her. There was no predicting what would happen when she saw her fallen comrades up alive and breathing again. But at least he and...Kurama were going to be there to support her. And despite the tension going on between himself and the fox, if there was one thing that would make both of them set aside their animosity towards each other and work together- it was Naruko's safety and happiness. That much he was sure of.

As he felt her slowly waver in his hold. Her eyelids fluttering shut halfway, and then struggling to stay open, he shared an amused look with Kurama. He huffed slightly before a teasing grin broke out on his face and no longer being able to contain himself any longer he said in a slightly high-pitched sing-song voice.

_"Oh, honey! Look at the hour! It's way past your bedtime, what are you doing staying awake now? Hurry up and off you go to sleep!"_

There is a minute of complete silence where he wonders if he had just made a complete fool of himself for no reason, and then-

Naruko bristles, her cheeks turn pink, and her eye twitches. Kurama snorts, and then after looking at his jinchuuriki's embarrassed expression erupts into full-blown laughter.

"Whatever," she mutters and Minato could have _sworn_ that he heard her mutter something along the lines of 'stupid old man' before her form vanishes from the mindscape and she falls into an exhaustion induced slumber.

\-----------------------------------------------------

As the girl finally succumbed to her exhaustion, Kurama finally let his own eyelids drop, his last thought being his last moments with his siblings in the former past turned the upcoming future. Something- which given Naruko's current mental state he had no intention of sharing with her now, and if possible ever. The child already had many expectations hanging onto her shoulders, she didn't need anymore.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_//Flashback~_

_When the Rikudo sennin died there was very little that either Kurama or any of the other tailed beasts could do. Even if his ultimate wish for peace was yet to be realized the old sage was content to leave his dreams in the hands of the next generations to follow. Though they wanted to believe in his words, in his assurance that someone- anyone would come and lead them on the right path, the years had not been kind to any of the tailed beasts and as the resentment over their treatment continued to fester so did the little hope which remained began to diminish._

_That was until Uzumaki Naruko decided that it wasn't enough to just save the world and that she needed to save them too._

_And now as Kurama watched the very child who he had witnessed grow into the woman he had come to know, respect and begrudgingly enough care for, go limp in the arms of the bastard whom he hated with his entire being something in him snapped. His fur bristled and he bared his fangs in a silent snarl._

**_"You are not allowed to die, not like this, and definitely not now..."_ **

_As if sharing his own sentiments slowly one by one the chakra forms of each of the other 8 tailed beasts began to appear in her mindscape._

_Shukaku. Matatabi. Isobu. Son Goku. Kokuo. Saiken. Chomei. Gyuki. Kurama. All the 9 bijuu with matching solemn expressions on their faces gathered together in a circle, at the center of which was the form of Uzumaki Naruko floating on the surface of the water in her mindscape. Slowly chakra began to emit from each of the tailed beasts and began to surround the girl. It wrapped itself around her and lifted her up higher into the air, encasing the female in a warm multicolored cocoon._

**_"We now understand what father meant when he told us that we will come to understand what true power is"_ ** _, Kurama spoke. His voice booming in her mindscape, dispelling the silence that hung over it like an executioner's blade._

_For once there was no bickering. No taunts. Nothing but a quiet understanding and agreement shared by all nine._

**_"You have shown us this. Both through your words and actions you have made us regain the hope we thought was forever lost. There is no question in our minds of who you are. You are the Child of Prophecy we have been waiting for."_ ** _Matatabi's melodic voice continued._

**_"We offer you a chance Uzumaki. A chance to live the life you were meant to. To save those you weren't able to and to go back and rewrite your own legend."_ ** _Son Goku stated in his gruff voice._

**_"Alone we are nothing but a chakra, a force capable of unparalleled destruction."_ ** _Shukaku bit out reluctantly in his slightly high pitched voice._

**_"But together we are more. Together we hold within us the power equal to that of gods and together we have the power to send you back."_ ** _Chomei chirped out reassuringly._

**_"And that's exactly what we are going to do. You can save them all kid. You can make sure that the world we have come to know of now would never come to be."_ ** _Gyuki said with a slight huff in his deep voice._

**_"We can't wait to get to know you once more. Please do save us... and our hosts this time as well Uzumaki Naruko."_ ** _All of them- excluding Kurama- concluded, with a slight nostalgia and a hint of plea lilting their voices._

**_"Ōjo, use this opportunity wisely"_ ** _, the Six Path's soft voice echoed throughout her mindscape before all the nine-tailed beasts dissolved into pure chakra and joined the cocoon that was meant to protect the blonde against the time stream._

_End of Flashback~//_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The lines from -
> 
> She ignores... to ...them die." were taken from the fanfic 'Hello, Goodbye' by 'HaruPotter15'.
> 
> When the Rikudo sennin.. to ..come to be." were taken from the fanfic 'Time Again' by 'Shaay'.
> 
> They were edited and changed by me according to the requirements of the fanfic.


	5. Back In The Past? ~ 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Sometimes we can't let go of memories, because they are constant reminders of a great story that we never expected to end."

_'Thoughts'_

**"Kurama/Bijuu speech..."**

_"Minato communicating with Naruko inside her head..."_

_**"Hagoromo speech"** _

"Normal speech..."

Jutsu name...

_//Flashback...//_

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Recap:[ Third Person POV:]

**_"Ōjo, use this opportunity wisely"_ ** _, the Six Path's soft voice echoed throughout her mindscape before all the nine-tailed beasts dissolved into pure chakra and joined the cocoon that was meant to protect the blonde against the time stream._

_End of Flashback~//_

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Third Person POV:

There is a soft murmuring around her. A voice, so familiar, yet so foreign...

She feels a hand, rough and calloused gently touch her forehead. She wants to jerk away, wants to curl up, and ask whoever it is to just leave her alone. 

Please don't touch me. Don't come near me, I can't handle this, please, please, _please..._

Her limbs feel like lead, her mind is numb and she's just so _exhausted..._ she black's out.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Slowly and reluctantly she wakes up. She blinks, closes her eyes, and blinks again. Streaks of purple and orange penetrate the window and cast stripes of light across her face. The sun is setting and a quick glance at her battered alarm clock tells her that its 7:15 pm. 

And huh, she actually managed to sleep more than three hours this time after all.

She sits up, drags her feet off the bed and rubs her knuckles onto her eyes. Only to pause at the feeling of something wet smearing across her face. Slowly and mechanically she brings her right hand in front of her face. 

Red assaults her vision. 

There's a flash of red eyes, full of pain, full of hatred and full of anger. Demanding and asking the world- _Why?,_ _Why me?,_ _Why us?_

Naruko leans forward onto her knees. Her eyes are wide and her breathing erratic. Her hand clutches at her chest, directly above her heart and she heaves, stutters to inhale a breath, and whimpers. She scrunches her eyes close and Sasuke's jet black hair and soft smile greet her. He reaches out a hand, despite his entire body crumbling and cracking into dust and gently taps her forehead. 

Sakura smiles at her. It's warm and watery and _relieved,_ she envelops her into a hug, despite the many bruises covering her body. People around them cheer and thank her and when she looks further along she can see the villagers and their proud smiles. 

She remembers orange hair, pale skin, and black rods. Blue hair, grey eyes, and a bouquet of paper roses. Red hair, ringed eyes, and a promise. 

Hinata's cheek covered in pink dust, Lee in the hospital after the chunin exams.

Itachi ni-san- Naruko breathes and swallows the incoming air, her fingers curl and dig into her palms, leaving crescent-shaped markings. 

Kakashi sensei gives her a conspirational wink, Yamato taichou gives her a thumbs up. Gai sensei gives her a million-watt smile and Asuma sensei pats her back. Kurenai sensei gives her a fond smile. Iruka sensei beckons her towards the ramen stand. 

Uncle Shikaku ruffles her hair, Aunt Yoshino fusses over her, Ero-sennin laughs at her broadly and Tsunade baachan-Naruko splutters- Tsunade baachan kisses her on the forehead, Shizune nee-chan gently smiles at her. And when Shikamaru places his hands onto her shoulders and squeezes Naruko lets out a pained yell. It hurts. It really _hurts._

Gaara stares at her, teal eyes warm and bright. He smiles and his mouth moves, there are words forming across those pale lips but Naruko can't hear them and yet she feels a certain warmth to those unheard words. The warmth disappears as soon as it appears because she's dragging Gaara's unmoving body from under the rubble. Temari is crying behind her and Kankuro is shaking with grief, and the pain in her chest deepens. 

Octopops bumps his fist with her. Kiba swings an arm around her shoulders and Akamaru barks at both of them happily, Neji pushes her forward with a clap to her back and Ino bickers with her about plants. Sai asks her about the meaning behind basic social pleasantries and Choji offers her his chips. Tenten and Shino walk her back home in comfortable silence. 

Naruko stands, quick and swift, and wobbly and ushers herself into the bathroom and empties the contents of her stomach into the toilet. 

She forces the memories away and focuses on steadying her heartbeat and controlling her breathing. She breathes in, slowly and waveringly, and then breathes out.

It hurts. It hurts a lot. Her hands press further into the seat of the toilet in order to steady herself. A smear of red is left behind. She ignores it and counts from one to twenty out loud. Once she stops, she bonelessly slumps sideways against the cold tiled walls of the bathroom and lets numbness consume her. 

She doesn't know how long she sat there for, but when she woke up-when did she fall asleep in the first place?- streaks of golden light were cast in her room and the sun was rising. 

Whatever it was that had happened, it had made her realize something. 

It had made her realize that she could never have the same relationship with the people in this timeline as she had with their older-selves.

For these people were just young, inexperienced and naïve versions of her comrades, kids who were constantly fooling around and dreaming about a merry and happy future without any care in the world. They were just annoying brats who only thought about themselves.

She could never form the same bonds with them as she had with their future versions. For those bonds had been forged by going through constant hardships, sorrows, and trials. Those circumstances had tested their friendship and Konoha 13 had always passed these tests with flying colors and emerged victoriously.

And that **_hurt_**.

She knew she was being selfish, and wrong, and _horrible..._

But she missed her friends and wanted them back so _bad._

She comforted herself with the thought that by saving their past selves from the horrible future, she would be able to repay _her_ comrades and thank them for accepting her, for giving her a space in their hearts and for believing in her. For making her feel like she was loved and needed.

After all, she knew that the war was fixed until she took out the top players. The reason why she was sure of this was simple. The path of darkness had already been taken by Obito and he would continue to walk on it no matter what happens. That is, unless...unless he was shown the path of light, he would continue to struggle with his hatred, his grief, and darkness. And to show him the path of light, was her job...

The task of changing the past, or should she call it the present now? It... It seemed impossible and full of pain, but then again she was Uzumaki-Namikaze Naruko, the daughter of the **_'Red Hot-Blooded Habanero of the Leaf'_** , the shinobi who was known for making impossible situations possible.

She would make it through. 

So... why did she feel so hollow and numb inside? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Major references for this chapter were taken from 'Hello, Goodbye' by 'HaruPotter15'.
> 
> Like I said before The content was edited and changed by me according to the requirements of the story.

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Naruto or Naruto Shippuden.
> 
> All the credit goes to Masashi Kishimoto.
> 
> This is not a yaoi fanfiction! (At least the main pairing isn't.)
> 
> Slow updates! 
> 
> This Female Naruto time travel fanfic will be a collaboration between my ideas and the works of other fellows, 'Wattpad', 'Fanfiction', and 'Archive of our own' writers. When I will do this I will make sure to mention the fanfic from which the text/references were taken. 
> 
> So fellow authors if you see that a paragraph or so has been taken from your works please don't get offended. I would be doing so only to convey my imagination to the fellow readers through words from your fanfic's. 
> 
> I would like to ensure you, fellow authors, that if I use your text then I will make sure to mention you and not claim your works as mine.


End file.
